


Redemption

by charliechick117



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Nuka-World Amusement Park (Fallout)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-09-30 13:01:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20447564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliechick117/pseuds/charliechick117
Summary: After waking up from Vault 111, after finding the Institute and destroying it with the Railroad's help, the Sole Survivor wandered the Wastes and into Nuka World.  She joined up with the Raiders and terrorized the Commonwealth she had worked so hard to reclaim.  She left behind her friends, her allies, and the love of her life.But when the novelty of Nuka World wore off, where would she go?  Could she even go back home?  Did she have a home to go to?There was nowhere else for her to go but back to Sanctuary, to plead for forgiveness and try and earn redemption for her betrayal.





	1. Caelynn Returns

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't planning on posting this but here we are because why not.
> 
> Inspired by my personal playthrough of Nuka World with my Sole Survivor, Caelynn. After doing all the raider stuff, I got so bored of it. I couldn't make the raiders happy and I was tired of taking over settlements for them. So I betrayed the raiders and crawled back to Sanctuary to try and reclaim what I had destroyed.
> 
> I was a little upset that there was no way to redeem yourself to Preston after taking over a settlement for the raiders. Even if you come back to the Commonwealth, destroy the raider outposts, Preston will never be your companion and never say anything nice to you again ever. Which, okay, I get that it's a video game and there are limits, but it really upset me that I could never get Preston's forgiveness.
> 
> Which brought about this fic. If the sole survivor had a change of heart, could they ever be redeemed in the eyes of their companions ever again? And, more importantly, would they forgive themselves for the destruction they caused?
> 
> So join me and my dear OC Caelynn on that journey.
> 
> (I also might write a couple of other little one-shots for her adventures before Nuka World if this goes well)

With nerves battling in her chest, Caelynn made the long trek back to Sanctuary. Gage, walking steadfastly behind her, kept up a steady stream of commentary on the usefulness of the Commonwealth and its settlements. While Caelynn already had those thoughts running through her head, she was terrified of heading back to Sanctuary.

Preston was in Sanctuary. Nick, Hancock, Deacon, MacCready. Caelynn looked down at her Pip-Boy. Mid-June. Eight months since she left the Vault, since she joined the Minutemen and the Railroad. Three weeks since the Institute blew up and the Brotherhood was taken down.

Fourteen days since she stumbled through Nuka World and became Overboss.

It had been a hellish two weeks for her, killing Colter, taking over the park and giving out land to the different gangs. Then pushing themselves forward and into the Commonwealth. She shouldn’t have taken pride in kicking out the settlers of Nordhagen Beach, not when two months ago she worked for days to build it up for the Minutemen. She shouldn’t have been proud of subduing the Finch’s at their farm, reminding them exactly who saved their son as she looted the dead Minutemen – Minutemen she had carefully trained in the Castle with Ronnie Shaw.

But she was proud. She spent hours with the Disciples, talking with Dixie about her techniques and comparing them with her own. She liked watching the Operators heads turn as she walked down the street, eager for her next payday. She enjoyed barking out orders to Mason, reminding him exactly who was the alpha in Nuka World now.

This, Caelynn knew, is what she was good at doing.

She and Gage stopped to make camp at an abandoned cabin just outside of Abernathy farm. She quickly built a fire in front of the porch and started cooking up the radstag she’d killed on the way. Gage rolled out their sleeping bags and moved the skeletons out of the building. The sun set and the darkness of the Wasteland rolled in. Caelynn pulled out a bottle of whiskey from her bag and twisted the cap off, taking a healthy swig.

“C’mon, boss, you know I hate that,” Gage grumbled from inside the cabin.

“Then don’t watch,” Caelynn muttered. She rotated the meat and took another drink. “You got your ways to cope, I got mine.”

“Why are you so bent out of shape about going to Sanctuary anyway?” Gage asked and sat down next to Caelynn, grabbing the bottle from her hand. “We’re going to take over the Commonwealth anyway, why not start where you already have authority?”

Caelynn laughed. Where to begin? Was it because Sanctuary was her home, 200 years ago before the bombs? Was it because she tried desperately, with Sturges’s help, to rebuild her house and try to pretend this wasn’t happening? Or was it because of the people there? Codsworth, who had faithfully waited for centuries, Preston and his naïve idealism about the Minutemen along with Sturges, Mama Murphy, Jun and Marcy. Then there were all those folks she had collected along her travels. Deacon and Hancock, the best friends she could have asked for. Nick, heart of gold detective who helped her find the Institute.

MacCready…

Caelynn pulled out a canister of Jet and shook it. Before it could reach her lips, Gage had snatched it away.

“Boss, you’re no good to us high or drunk,” he said. “I’ve been following you through all of Nuka World and you ain’t ever been this shook up. Not even when that gatorclaw got the jump on you. Just talk to me, alright? It’s what I’m here for.”

“Sure, sure,” Caelynn scoffed. “Just like you were there to stab Colter in the back, right?”

“You’re different and you know it,” Gage insisted. “You took Nuka World, you’re helping us expand to the Commonwealth. Damn, Caelynn, you’ve worked your ass off for the us raiders and you’re the best Overboss we’ve ever had. I’m not… good at this, but you’re the best chance we have and I’m not gonna let you go postal.”

“Fine,” Caelynn reached forward and pulled the radstag off the grill. Her fingers would be burnt to shit, but nothing a stimpak couldn’t cure. “Fine, you wanna know what’s in Sanctuary? Robert Joseph MacCready is there. He’s…” Caelynn yanked out the knife that was tucked in her boot and started to hack at the grilled radstag. “He’s a merc and he and I hit it off. Mercenary work is the only good line of work in the ‘Wealth and we both understood that. We traveled for a while, couple months, and… well… he and I sort of…”

“You slept with him, didn’t you?”

“No! Well, yes, but that was after… I thought I loved him, maybe I did,” Caelynn said. “He sure as hell loves me though. Loved, who knows.” Caelynn took a bite of the radstag. A little burnt, could use some salt, but not bad. “I expect since taking over Nordhagen, Preston’s been spreading all sorts of anti-Caelynn material to the rest of them.”

“That’s what’s been bothering you?” Gage guessed. “Shit, boss, that’s nothing! You found your calling; you’re a raider, boss. Remember the last poor sod who came through the gauntlet? You tore into him in a way that made Nisha proud. You don’t belong out here, farming like these settlers or being some overworked cop, like the Minutemen. You belong in Nuka World. And, hell, if they can’t see it, they ain’t worth it, you understand?”

“Never knew you could be so tender,” Caelynn elbowed Gage in the gut. “Wait until I tell Mags about this.”

“She’ll never believe you, boss.”

Sanctuary was bustling as Caelynn strolled across the bridge. The turrets hummed and the gentle burble of the water purifiers was as familiar to Caelynn as her own breathing. She had built each of those turrets and generators with care, knew where they were placed like the back of her hand.

As she walked, the settlers backed away, some of the whispering to themselves, all of them staring at her with fear in their eyes. Caelynn knew she was different now, dressed in raider gear and her face painted menacingly. At the center of the settlement, as if he was waiting for her (maybe he was), stood Preston Garvey.

“General,” he said shortly. “Or is it Overboss now?”

“I just came for my stuff,” Caelynn walked past him and into her, somewhat refurbished, house. Preston followed. Caelynn didn’t look at him as she started shoving things into her bag.

“The settlers at Nordhagen did nothing wrong,” Preston said. “You helped them settle in, fought off the super mutants that were attacking them, gave them fresh water and food, and for what? To kick them out for raiders?”

Caelynn, bag full of bobbleheads and magazines, ignored him. “Gage, make sure no one bothers us.”

“Got it, boss,” Gage said and closed the door, leaving Preston and Caelynn alone.

“I thought you wanted something better for the Commonwealth,” Preston said. “I thought we had the same goals. A better place for the people.”

“I’m not that person, Preston,” Caelynn said. She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked down the short hallway to her bedroom. “I tried, hell, I tried for _months_ to be the General of the Minutemen and to be the spy for the Railroad and a soldier for the Brotherhood. I even tried to be the director for the Institute, but you know what, Preston? That’s not who I am.”

Caelynn flung open the dresser and pulled out the minutemen general clothes and threw them on the bed. “I’m not a good person, Preston. I ran around trying to help settlements, but dammit, why can’t they help themselves? It was so infuriating to watch these farmers just accept their fate and wait for me to swoop in and save them. My god, grow a backbone!

“And the Railroad? With all their subterfuge and secrets, they were never going to get into the Institute, not without my help and a serious reassessment of their priorities. They’d be squashed underneath the heel of the Brotherhood if not for me.

“I’m tired, Preston,” Caelynn said. “I’m tired of helping people. I’m tired of being the _savior of the commonwealth_. For once, I want to do what I want to do. Not fix another settlement for the Minutemen or save a synth for the Railroad. I went to Nuka World because I wanted to and I feel _fantastic _over there. I’m doing what I want and the raiders there get it.”

Preston’s fingers tightened on his rifle and his face was hard. Caelynn, during all those months working alongside Preston, had never seen him so closed off.

“If you want to give the Commonwealth to the raiders, you’ll have to fight me and every other Minutemen to do it.”

“You couldn’t even organize yourself until I came along. Good luck.”

Caelynn pushed past Preston, knocking him over a little more than strictly necessary. In her pocket was a little toy soldier and a worn piece of paper.

Just outside the door was Gage, standing guard even as several people were clearly trying to make their way into Caelynn’s house. She closed the door behind her and gave a motion with her head towards Gage.

“Alright, people, move it!” Gage shouted at the group of settlers as they tried to come closer. “The Overboss of Nuka World has graciously decided to keep you lot alive. I suggest you move before she changes her mind.”

Whispers ran through the crowd and they dispersed, casting dark looks at Caelynn. She whistled, sharp and loud, and the familiar sound of paws on concrete followed. Dogmeat abruptly stopped at Caelynn’s feet, looking up at her with his big eyes.

“You ready to go, boy?” she asked, smiling as she patted his head. Dogmeat barked.

“Really, boss?” Gage looked down at Dogmeat. “You have to bring the dog?”

“Trust me, I do,” Caelynn said. “Let’s get out of here.”

They barely made it to the bridge before her name was being called. Caelynn froze. She knew that voice. She’d recognize that voice anywhere. She learned to recognize it in the heat of battle, knew the rise and fall of his cadences, how it sounded, sleepy and warm in the morning, or sharp and bitter when it rained.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Caelynn turned around to see MacCready running towards her, ridiculous coat billowing behind him. In the safety of Sanctuary, he didn’t carry his rifle, but he still had a neat little pistol on his thigh for emergencies.

Walking behind him, at a much more relaxed pace, came Hancock and Deacon.

Great, Caelynn thought to herself. The whole guilt trip was here.

“Wait, wait, Caelynn,” MacCready skidded to a halt in front of her. Were his eyes always so blue? “You can’t leave.”

“Well, seeing as Preston wants me dead, I think I can,” Caelynn countered. She looked over his shoulder, at the group of kids playing on what remained of the playground. MacCready shifted until his face filled her view and she turned away again. “I’m not coming back, alright?”

“Is this about Nordhagen?” MacCready asked. “Let me talk with him, or get Sturges to talk with him, we can fix this! Don’t… don’t leave.”

“We can’t fix this,” Caelynn steadfastly looked at the houses, the trees, anything that wasn’t MacCready’s face. “I’m Overboss at Nuka World, alright? And I like it there. I’m helping the raiders take over the Commonwealth, do you get it? I’m done playing hero, I’m done doing things for other people. It’s about time I did something for me.”

Reaching into her pocket, Caelynn pulled out the toy soldier. She looked up at MacCready’s face, bracing herself. Sure enough, his blue eyes started to quiver, his handsome face twisted up in confusion. She took his hand and pressed the toy into his palm, closing his fingers around it.

“I don’t regret what we had,” she said. “It was a good time, Robert, a great time. Sanctuary will be safe, I can promise that much. And… I hope Duncan is okay.”

“You’re really leaving then, huh?” MacCready’s fist tightened and she watched his face close off. Back to the cold hearted mercenary. “I’m not proud of what I did with the gunners, hell, I’m not proud of what I did as a merc, but at least I never stooped so low to become a raider.”

Caelynn shrugged. “You stick with what you’re good at, babe. And I’m good at this. Tell Deacon and the others to stay away from settlements if they want to live.”

“They’re going to stop you, Cae, you know that.”

“I’d like to see them try.”


	2. A New Challenger

Weeks later, after dealing with Mason and his insubordinate animals, Caelynn started to feel strange. She had taken 8 different settlements in the Commonwealth, forced almost all the farms to supply her raiders, killed a handful of hopefuls through the gauntlet, and she was bored.

Shank had sent her a letter saying there weren’t enough farms supplying her raiders and Caelynn was busy scrolling through her Pip Boy map, laying on her back on the master bed in Fizztop Grille with Dogmeat curled up at her feet. The only settlements she hadn’t forced under Nuka World was Starlight and Sanctuary. The Drive-In had Mercer safe house, she couldn’t take over that and she had already promised Sanctuary to be just that – Sanctuary.

Nuka World was lit up now and Caelynn thought about putting up curtains to block out the light from Nuka World USA so she could sleep at night. It was midday and Caelynn squinted at her Pip Boy screen, staring at the little marker for Sanctuary and her chest felt weird.

It felt almost… hollow. No matter how many times she checked the tribute chest or went out hunting with Gage, she came back to Fizztop Grille feeling empty. Whenever Gage wasn’t around, Caelynn drank and smoked and invited Nisha up to fool around, but no matter what she did, Caelynn felt like she was missing something.

She scrolled her Pip Boy screen to the data page, still stacked with little settlement quests from Preston and a couple of favors for Drummer Boy. She still had to visit Virgil and Jack Cabot. She wanted to check on Duncan for MacCready, get him a steady home. Piper wanted her help to find a new mayor for Diamond City and Cait started murmuring about going clean.

And Caelynn was sitting on a lofty bed in Nuka World, threatening the rest of the Commonwealth to give her their goods and supplies.

Wasn’t this what she wanted? Caelynn flipped back to the map on her Pip Boy, staring at the icon of Sanctuary. She wanted to do something for herself and she was good at killing people, it only made sense that she joined the raiders. They never judged her for coming back covered in blood, dragging a fresh kill behind her. They didn’t care if she got a little trigger happy when making her rounds, or a little threatening when talking with civilians.

They didn’t bother to lift up a hand to help themselves. They didn’t understand the soreness of a hard day’s work or the satisfaction of bringing in a crop. They never built their homes, never struggled to make a living out in the Wasteland.

The strange empty feeling in her chest expanded and Caelynn suddenly couldn’t catch her breath. Her face felt tight and she wanted to cry.

God, what was wrong with her?

An alarm blared over Nuka World and Caelynn jumped out of her bed. She knew that sound. Someone had made it through the gauntlet and it was expected for Caelynn, as the Overboss, to put on a show.

“Stay here, Dogmeat,” Caelynn said. “I’ll be back soon.”

She strapped her armor on, slung her favorite shotgun over her back, made sure her rifle was on her hip and that she had plenty of ammo. Maybe this is what she needed to make her feel better. Nothing like putting on a show for the raiders in an old bumper car arena to lift her spirits.

Caelynn hit the button for the elevator and graciously rode down to the ground of Nuka World USA. She didn’t even stop by Frisch, just made her way straight to the Cola Cars Arena. The last person who came through didn’t even make it out the door before Caelynn killed them. Hopefully this person would at least make a good show.

Loosening her rifle, Caelynn stepped into the ring. With luck, she wouldn’t even need to bring out her shotgun – a powerful, staggering gun she called Sit The Fuck Down. Although, Caelynn couldn’t stop the smile on her face, MacCready had been the one to coin the name when she used it to knock down particularly tough gunners.

The door opened and Caelynn remembered being on the other side of it, trusting her life to a damn squirt gun, facing down an electrifying suit of power armor. She lifted up her rifle, aimed her sight on the head of whoever decided to come and try their luck against her, and almost dropped it. The empty part in her chest started to fill up.

Familiar blue eyes stared at her from underneath a brown cap. Long fingers trailed over the trigger of a .308 rifle. Robert Joseph MacCready was standing in the Cola Cars Arena. A little worse for wear, Caelynn could see the blood trailing down one arm and a hastily tied bandage on his leg, but there was no denying that MacCready had conquered the gauntlet.

“Cae…” he said softly.

“And now, what you’ve all been waiting for!” Gage shouted through the speakers. “The Overboss is going to take on this puny little gunner!”

The raiders slammed on the window, shouting and jeering. Caelynn looked over and saw Nisha sitting prim on the second floor, swinging a knife back and forth. Mags, standing on the bottom floor, managed to give Caelynn a supreme glare. She turned her head back to see Gage moving his hand in a ‘get a move on’ motion.

She couldn’t do it, couldn’t shoot MacCready in cold blood. Even with his ballistic weave duster she picked up for him from the Railroad, she couldn’t do it. Caelynn reached into her grenade pouch and pulled out a couple of artillery smoke grenades. She hadn’t used them since coming to Nuka World but she never stop carrying them.

With a snap of her wrist, Caelynn lit the smoke grenades and threw them in front of the windows. The blue smoke smothered the Arena and Caelynn sprinted towards MacCready, holstering her rifle as she did. She pushed him against the far wall. For a moment, she was distracted by the feel of his chest beneath her hand, feeling his heartbeat pounding through the layers of fabric. But the smoke wouldn’t last forever and she had to act fast.

“We’re going to pretend you’re dead,” Caelynn said quickly. “The smoke will distract them long enough for us to make it look real.” She lifted her rifle and fired aimlessly into the arena. The sound of the bullets was met with a cheer from the raiders. “After the fight is over, you hide out in one of these cars, I’ll come back for you tonight.”

“Caelynn – ”

“Trust me, baby,” Caelynn darted forward and kissed him on the cheek. “Lay down and don’t move.”

To her utter astonishment, MacCready sat down on the ground, leaning backwards. Caelynn fired a few more shots from her rifle before switching to her shotgun, firing off a few rounds. The cheering skyrocketed.

“Tonight,” Caelynn said. She pulled out a knife and, with a grimace, she jammed it into the meaty part of MacCready’s shoulder. He let out a short shout and glared. “Sorry, sorry! Has to look real.”

MacCready grabbed the front of Caelynn’s chest piece and pulled her down, kissing her deeply. Caelynn almost melted into it, letting her fingers card through MacCready’s hair, knocking his hat off. God, she missed this, missed MacCready. Missed the way his lips felt against hers, the way he cradled her face as he kissed her, as if she was the most precious thing in the Wasteland.

The smoke was fading fast and Caelynn forced herself away from MacCready. She could blame the flush on the heat of battle and hopefully no one would look at her kiss swollen lips. She was the Overboss, after all, she could just tell them to leave her alone.

On a whim, Caelynn took MacCready’s hat and waved it up in the air as the final wisp of smoke vanished. The raiders’ cheering reached its peak and Caelynn blew a kiss to the crowd. Gage unlocked the door and it took all of Caelynn’s concentration to not look back at where MacCready was hiding inside a Cola Car.

“What’s up with the smoke, boss?” Gage asked as he shut the door behind her. The rest of the raiders were already leaving the arena. “You’ve never done that before. Kinda defeats the purpose of having a show if no one can see it.”

“Wanted to get the jump on the challenger,” Caelynn said haughtily, throwing her silver hair back. “Is that a problem, Gage?”

“No, no problem,” Gage shook his head. “Listen, boss, you’ve been… weird lately.”

Caelynn paused where she was reloading her shotgun. “Excuse me?”

“It’s just, since we started building our outposts, you’ve been kinda distant,” Gage said. “Even Nisha is starting to get worried. Says you two haven’t fucked in days and that you spend most of your days in bed staring at your Pip Boy.”

“Your point?”

“Just want to make sure you’re not going soft on us like Colter did. You’re the best damn Overboss we’ve ever had and, personally, I don’t wanna lose that.”

“After what I’ve done, don’t worry,” Caelynn gave Gage a wry smile. “The settlements of the Commonwealth aren’t about to take me back, not after I kicked them off their land for you. Like it or not, here I am.”

“Good, good, just making sure.”

Caelynn followed Gage out of the Arena, lips still tingling from MacCready’s kiss


	3. Goodbye Nuka World

Just to keep suspicion off her back (and to keep raiders from investigating the Cola Cars Arena before Caelynn could smuggle out MacCready) Caelynn invited up Nisha and Mags to talk about the future plans for the Commonwealth. They talked for hours about which settlements they could still take over, how to take down the Castle and whether or not they could nab a couple of synth slaves from the Railroad.

It made Caelynn sick to talk about it. Now that she knew what she was missing, she didn’t want to stay in Nuka World. She wanted to go back home, back to MacCready. But if the raiders found out what she was up to then she would be dead before she could fight back.

It was well after sunset by the time Mags and Nisha left. Caelynn waited until they were far out of sight before grabbing a small bag with stimpaks, ammo, and food and water. Dogmeat gave her a curious look as Caelynn grabbed a couple of bottles of moonshine.

“C’mon boy, let’s go for a walk,” Caelynn said.

At the bottom of Fizztop Grille were a couple of Disciple raiders. Nisha was paranoid and suspicious and liked to keep a watch on her turf, even with Caelynn living directly above her. Most of the time the watch didn’t bother with Caelynn’s comings and goings but she wasn’t about to take any chances.

The good thing about raiders was that they often didn’t ask too many questions if the bribe was right. A couple of bottles of Bobrov’s Best was a high bribe in Nuka World and, as Caelynn tossed the Disciple raiders the bottles, she knew they wouldn’t say a word about the Overboss taking a nighttime stroll.

It was late in Nuka World and most of the raiders were sleeping, probably dreaming of the future that Caelynn was supposedly ushering in. Still, Caelynn took the back roads, kept away from the bright lights of the streets as she crept into the Cola Cars Arena.

The door to the arena creaked open and Dogmeat scampered in. He sniffed the air, wagged his tail, and trotted into the arena. Not daring to turn on her Pip Boy light, Caelynn crept along the dark walls and followed Dogmeat into the arena.

“Robert?” she called softly. Please don’t be dead, she thought. Please let him be alive.

Behind one of the overturned cars, MacCready sat up slowly. His shoulder was caked in dried blood and his hair was a mess but he was still alive. Dogmeat bounded to him, jumping on his lap and licking his face.

“Oh, thank god!” Caelynn ran up to MacCready, kneeling beside him and pulling out a stimpak to inject into his shoulder. “I’m sorry, babe. I had no choice.”

MacCready’s hand covered hers. She looked up from his injury and met his eyes, bright blue and eager. “Caelynn,” he whispered. “Why didn’t you kill me?”

Caelynn let out a soft laugh. “Are you complaining?”

“No, I just… we thought since you were the Overboss you’d kill anyone who comes in,” MacCready said. His hand squeezed hers. “Strong was convinced I was gonna die.”

“I couldn’t do it,” Caelynn leaned forward, resting their foreheads together. God, she had missed him so much. How could anything compare to him? “I couldn’t kill you. I lo – I care too much. I just… I forgot.”

“Forgot?”

“It’s a long story,” Caelynn brushed it off. “Listen, I’m going to smuggle you out of here, alright? I’ll meet you back in Sanctuary later this week.”

“Wait, what?”

But Caelynn was already hoisting up MacCready and tugging him behind her towards the door. All of his protests went silent as they quietly snuck back out into Nuka World. The tram station wasn’t far from the arena but with MacCready behind her, Caelynn had to make use of every shadow available.

It didn’t help that MacCready wasn’t as stealthy as she was. Oh, he tried, but his breathing was a little too loud and his footsteps too heavy. Caelynn and Deacon had tried to show MacCready how to be quieter when they went to clear out the Switchboard for the Railroad, but in the end they had been laughing too hard over his lack of talent for any stealth that they ended up going in guns blazing anyway.

The tram station was empty and Caelynn pushed MacCready through the doors and onto the train.

“Here,” she pushed the bag of supplies into his arms. “To help you get back home.”

“You promise you’ll come?” MacCready asked in a broken voice.

Caelynn smiled softly and cupped his face. He was far too good for her. “I promise,” she said and pulled him in for one final, lingering kiss. Soon, too soon, she pulled back and hit the button to send the train back to the Commonwealth. The doors slid shut and MacCready rested his hands on the glass, mouthing words to Caelynn.

The tram squealed and the train lurched forward, sending MacCready away and back home. Caelynn stood there until the train was out of sight. Dogmeat whined and nudged her leg.

“I do love him,” she whispered. “I love him so much, Dogmeat, and he deserves better than me. Everyone in the Commonwealth deserves better than me, after what I’ve done. But I made this mess so I suppose it’s my job to clean it up. Let’s just hope I can get out of here before Gage and the others catch on.”

Dogmeat barked happily and Caelynn felt the last bit of hollowness in her chest fill up.

Caelynn waited three days before leaving for the Commonwealth. Technically, it was only two and a half days, since she took the train out in the middle of the afternoon on day three. She told Gage some lie about making sure that Shank was settling in well and that he needed to stay behind to keep Nuka World running. He bought it, surprisingly, and Caelynn made her way back to the Commonwealth.

It was night by the time Caelynn landed in Nuka Station and she made a little camp on the lower floor of an old parking structure. She had brought all her best supplies from Nuka World; she wasn’t heading back anytime soon. At least… she wasn’t counting on it.

When Caelynn first went to Concord, when she ran into Preston all those months ago, it was just her and Dogmeat. Those nights were hair raising and terrifying. Dogmeat was a loyal companion and she was more than glad to have him by her side as she made her way back to Sanctuary, but she had grown used to having another human by her side.

If a pack of ferals decided to attack, Dogmeat would fight valiantly, but he couldn’t shoot and cripple them. Still, as the clouds rolled in and the radioactive lightning burst across the sky causing Caelynn’s Pip Boy to click madly, she was glad to have Dogmeat by her side.

Despite her confidence to MacCready, Caelynn was terrified to go back to Sanctuary. It was easy to say she was coming back, that she would find a way to make things right, but it was entirely different to be walking back to the people she betrayed and ask for forgiveness.

“What am I doing?” she asked softly as the sound of rain clattered on the concrete. “There’s no way in hell Preston is going to forgive me for what I did. After all we did, all we worked for together to make the Commonwealth better, I threw it away. I betrayed everything we stood for, and for what? Because I wanted to?”

Dogmeat made an affirmative huff and rested his head on Caelynn’s legs.

“But… I didn’t like it there,” Caelynn said slowly. “I mean, I did at first, but after a while, it got kinda boring. I miss farming with the settlers and training the Minutemen. I miss doing something with my life. I miss hanging out with Deacon and Hancock and working with Preston and Sturges. I miss my long talks with Nick about prewar life.”

She stroked Dogmeat’s head and he sleepily nuzzled against her hand.

“I just… I miss all of them so much,” Caelynn said. “I guess – I guess I didn’t realize it until I saw MacCready. I just… I don’t know if they missed me.”

Dogmeat only whined and the radstorm only got worse. Caelynn checked to make sure her rifle was close, put a hand on Dogmeat’s head, and waited for dawn.


	4. Passing the Torch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that technically if you follow the Railroad quest line then you don't get the Blind Betrayal quest, but I like Paladin Danse too much to not have him join the rest of the companions in Sanctuary. It's my fic and I can do what I want.

The last time Caelynn walked into Sanctuary, she was met with cautious and suspicious stares and a raider walking by her side. This time, with Dogmeat trailing behind her, she was met with open hostility. All those settlers she kicked out made their way to Sanctuary or Starlight Drive-In. Caelynn recognized Blake Abernathy and his family huddled up on a porch and she avoided looking at them.

The meetinghouse, one she worked hard to build with Sturges and Preston, was lit up and crowded. It didn’t have a door, just an open wall that left the building open to the rest of Sanctuary. It was built on the empty lot across the street from Caelynn's house and doubled as a meetinghouse and tavern. As Caelynn made her somber walk up the streets, Dogmeat sprinted ahead of her, barking and jumping at MacCready.

Caelynn saw Hancock and Deacon leaning against the wall, sharing a smoke with Nick Valentine. Piper was sitting in one of the seats, notebook in hand and talking animatedly with Cait. To Caelynn’s utter astonishment, Danse was in the corner, not wearing any power armor. He had on a baggy plaid shirt and loose khakis and his face was sunburned. Standing outside was Strong, looking like a pre-war bouncer.

Then there was Preston Garvey, standing in the street, waiting for her just like last time.

“I’m back,” she said weakly.

“Where’s your raider buddies?” Preston asked icily. “Haven’t seen you without them for the past few weeks.”

Caelynn reached into her pack and pulled out Mason’s head, throwing it on the ground. There was a collective gasp and Deacon let out a low whistle.

“I know this doesn’t fix what I’ve done,” Caelynn said. “I know what I did is beyond your forgiveness, but I’m willing to make amends. I want to make this right.”

Preston let out a heavy sigh. “It’s not going to be easy, General. You’ve lost the faith of a lot of good settlers out here. You’ve helped raiders kill our own Minutemen. Even if you take back those settlements for us, they may never trust you again.”

“I don’t need their trust, I just need yours,” Caelynn said. “I’ll take back those settlements. I’ll go back to Nuka World and take down those raiders. We can make Nuka World a hub of trading again, but only if you become General.”

The angry murmurings in Sanctuary came to a sudden stop.

“What?” Preston stared.

“You become General of the Minutemen, Preston,” Caelynn said. “You have the drive, the dedication, and you already have their respect. From the first moment I met you, I knew you were the one to lead the Minutemen. Clearly, I’ve proven that I don’t make good decisions.”

“I don’t – there has – what?”

“You said there’s normally a vote for the next General but I got a pass since you were the last Minutemen. But the Generals usually die, not retire. Preston, I’ve always seen you as my second in command and hoped you would take over if something happened to me. I can’t think of anyone better to be a new General.”

“General – ”

“No, not anymore,” Caelynn shook her head. “General Preston Garvey of the Commonwealth Minutemen, what would you have me do?”

There was a brief moment of complete silence in all of Sanctuary. Preston’s face, which had been in shock, was pale and his eyes were wide. Before Caelynn could do anything, Preston’s wide eyes rolled in the back of his head and he collapsed.

A heavy hand rested on Caelynn’s shoulder. She looked over at Sturges’s slightly bemused face. “Well, that’s a first.”

Caelynn curled up around Dogmeat on her bed. She had given Sturges the uniform in her dresser, insistent he give it to Preston. Soon she was going to storm the Commonwealth and reclaim it for the Minutemen. It would be difficult to travel alone, but she'd done it before. She didn’t delude herself into thinking any of her other companions would join her on this journey.

There was a soft knock on the door and Caelynn spun around, hand reaching for her gun.

“Relax, it’s me,” MacCready said. “Can I come in?”

Caelynn relaxed and nodded. MacCready sat down right next to her, touching from shoulder to thigh. He was warm and Caelynn let herself lean in a little closer. Dogmeat woofed from where he was sitting on the bed before trotting out, leaving the two of them alone.

“Not very subtle, is he?” MacCready said.

“He’s a dog, babe.”

MacCready shifted a little. “I missed you.”

“I’m surprised you came back for me,” Caelynn whispered. “I wouldn’t have. Not after what I did.”

“I had a hunch,” MacCready shrugged. “Never could kill a pretty face, Cae.”

Caelynn punched him. MacCready only chuckled and put an arm around her, holding her close.

“Do you want me to come too?” he asked.

“No,” she shook her head. “I need to do this alone. Sanctuary needs you. But…” she turned to look up at him. “You can stay with me tonight and every night until I leave.”

“Will you come back?” MacCready asked.

Instead of answering, Caelynn pulled on MacCready’s collar and kissed him.

Even though Caelynn was supposed to be out reclaiming the Commonwealth, she wanted to make sure things were okay in Sanctuary before she left. Sturges and Piper helped to spread the news of Preston’s new promotion and Caelynn wanted the transition to go over smoothly before she left, which meant she spent a couple days in Sanctuary transferring all the information about the Settlements to Preson.

That and she was dying to figure out what happened to Danse. Caelynn had personally blown up the Prydwen and had assumed Danse was aboard the blimp as well. She hadn’t exactly gone through the flaming wreckage for a body count, but it was assumed the Brotherhood of Steel was completely destroyed.

Danse was out farming in the field of razor grain with the same dedication on his face as when he would be fighting ferals. He looked small without his power armor and Caelynn approached him slowly.

“Paladin Danse?” she called out.

“Oh, Caelynn,” Danse turned around. “Is there something you need?”

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“It’s a long story, I’m afraid,” Danse said.

“I’ve got time,” Caelynn said. “I never thought I’d see you here, not after what happened with the Prydwen.”

“Certain things came to light, unfortunately, that has altered my view of the world forever,” Danse said. “Before the Institute was destroyed, Elder Maxon came across information regarding synths in the Commonwealth; synths who had assimilated into human society without any knowledge. This information, you understand, was quite invaluable and would help the Brotherhood on their quest. However, my name came on that list.”

Caelynn blinked. Danse, a synth?

“I was ashamed and I fled,” Danse continued. “I ran away to a remote bunker to think about everything I thought I knew. Clearly, I was an abomination, only fit to die. That was everything I knew, everything I was raised to believe pointed to synths being the enemy – to me being the enemy.”

“No, Danse,” Caelynn shook her head. “Just because you’re a synth doesn’t make you evil. You’ve proven yourself to be just as human as anyone else. Even if you weren’t born in a conventional way.”

“Thank you, Caelynn, I appreciate the sentiment,” Danse smiled. “It was perhaps lucky, however, that I had run away since you destroyed the Brotherhood soon afterwards. I had intended to kill myself if Elder Maxon didn’t find me first but then someone else stumbled upon me instead.”

“I suppose that’s where I come in,” Nick Valentine strolled up. “Piper got wind of what had happened and sent me to go find the tin can. When I found him, he was as depressed as you’d expect. But if anyone could help someone transition to being a synth, it would be me.”

“So you two talked it out and everything’s fine?” Caelynn looked between them skeptically.

“It took a while,” Danse admitted. “It’s still a struggle. But even if I was created a synth, I know how I feel now. I know how I felt when I joined the Brotherhood, how I felt traveling with you. Those feelings are not artificial and what I feel now is real. It doesn’t matter how I came into the world, what matters is how I choose to live in it.”

Caelynn smiled. “I’m proud of you, Danse. You always were too good for the Brotherhood anyway. I’m glad you’re here.”

“It’s good to be here,” Danse said. “Different but good. But enough about me, Caelynn, how are you settling back in?”

“I’m not settling,” Caelynn protested. “Preston’s the general now. Once things are okay here I’m leaving.”

“But where will you go?” Danse asked. “This is your home. Why would you leave?”

“It _was_ my home. I lost that privilege when I joined up with the raiders.”

“But you came back,” Danse continued. “I understand the severity of what you’ve done but you came back to the Commonwealth. Does that not count for something?”

Caelynn shrugged. “I guess I’ll find out.”

She waved goodbye to Danse and Nick and crossed the street to Hancock’s house. She could still hear the muttering of angry settlers around her and she needed to get away from it.

Hancock’s house was next to Caelynn’s. He had a sign posted out on the front door that read “Goodneighbor Outpost” and blacked out all the windows. Caelynn knew there was a serious drug operation inside the house and Hancock sent most of it back to Goodneighbor. Some of it, however, stayed in Sanctuary.

As soon as Caelynn walked in, she could smell fumes of Jet in the air. She took a deep breath and felt the world slow down a little around her. Underneath the Jet was the scent of crushed Mentats and Buffout. Hancock kept his house dark, the sun didn’t agree with his ghoulish eyes, and Caelynn stood for a moment as she waited for her eyes to adjust.

“Ah, my favorite little ex-raider,” Hancock’s sweet voice drifted through the air like smoke. “Wondered when you’d be showing up.”

Warm hands touched Caelynn’s shoulders and she felt herself being pushed down into a chair. Slowly, Hancock’s face came into focus. His black eyes looked dull and he wasn’t smiling. Caelynn realized, suddenly, that he had vanished after she gave Preston the title of General. It had been a couple days and she hadn’t seen him once.

“Hancock – ”

“What happened, Sunshine?” Hancock asked roughly. “Why did you leave? Weren’t you happy here? Weren’t we enough?”

“No, Hancock, that’s not it!”

“Then why?!”

“I don’t know!” Caelynn cried. “I don’t know, Hancock… I’m just… I’m so confused and I didn’t know what to do and I went to Nuka World and they were different. They reminded me of what it felt like when I killed Kellogg. What it felt like to be stronger and faster and deadlier than someone else. I felt powerful when I hadn’t been feeling anything at all.”

Hancock knelt in front of Caelynn. His hands, rough and warm ghoul hands, rubbed across her cheeks, catching the tears there. He wasn’t smiling, but his eyes looked on Caelynn with a mix of sorrow and pity.

“Oh, Sunshine,” he said. “You’ve had a rough time. You’ve done good things and bad things and there’s no denying that you did some really bad things with Nuka World. The question is: are you going to do right by the Commonwealth again?”

“I want to try,” Caelynn said. “I know what I did was terrible, unforgivable. I don’t think I can be good again, not after that, but I can try and even out the scales a little more, get a little closer to good.”

“That’s my girl,” Hancock smiled. “Now, I assume you’re here for a little, ah, chem break?”

Caelynn’s face broke out into a watery smile. “Yeah, Hancock. I could really use something to take the edge off.”

“Don’t you worry, Caelynn, I’ll get you all hooked up.”

Caelynn spent the rest of her afternoon with Hancock. Most of the settlers avoided Hancock’s house, unless they were looking for a pick me up. It was the best place for Caelynn to lay low for a few hours.

How could Danse and Hancock believe her so easily? Caelynn didn’t even believe herself. She would have to leave tomorrow. She couldn’t stand it here for much longer. She couldn’t abide the glares and pitying stares.

Time was slow and sluggish with Hancock and his plethora of chems. Caelynn curled up next to him on his couch and was so grateful he was her friend. She may not deserve his friendship but she was glad for it nonetheless. Her eyes drifted close and Hancock was so warm next to her. The last time she was this close was several months ago, before she met MacCready. A one night stand, just to blow off some steam after her first dose of Jet. So long ago it felt like another lifetime.

Someone had their hands underneath her. The world shifted and Caelynn felt herself being lifted off the couch. She felt a leather jacket underneath her cheek and forced her eyes open a crack. MacCready was carrying her, gently and carefully, back to their house.

“Thanks, Hancock,” MacCready whispered. “For looking out for her.”

“Anytime,” Hancock whispered back. “Wish I could do more for her though. Do you think she’ll be okay?”

“I don’t know.”

Caelynn let their voices fade away and fell back asleep, cradled safely in MacCready’s arms.

The next morning, Caelynn packed her bags. She wrote notes for Cait and Piper, left some instructions for Codsworth, patted Dogmeat on the head, and prepared to fight against the raiders she had once allied herself with.

“Be careful,” MacCready said as Caelynn double-checked her weapons. “Are you sure you don’t want someone to come with you?”

“It’s my fault the raiders are here,” Caelynn said. “I have to do this, alone. This is my punishment for what I’ve done. I’ll be back before you know it.”

MacCready kissed her.

“Send word with the caravans when you clear out the settlements,” he said. “Just so we know you’re safe.”

Caelynn nodded and pulled him down to kiss him again. She didn’t know when she would be back, didn’t know how often she could send word. If she was going to leave him, again, then she would leave him with the best memory of her that she could. Let this be the last memory, she thought as she kissed him deeply, a memory of what we might have had.

“Take care of them,” she whispered, finally pulling away.

Hoisting up her bag, Caelynn left Sanctuary before MacCready could say anything. If he said he loved her, if he said he wanted to be with her, Caelynn’s resolve might fail and she couldn’t risk that – couldn’t risk his life for her foolish mistakes.

Caelynn pulled up her Pip-Boy as she left Sanctuary’s borders. First stop: the Abernathy Farm.


	5. Best Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Caelynn was my first Dungeons and Dragons character and I played her in Fallout 4 to try and get a feel for her character choices and such. She was an ex-pirate drow rogue.

Caelynn stared up at the dark night sky. She had been traveling across the Commonwealth for almost two months now, trying to make amends to the Minutemen she betrayed. Just as she suspected, Preston was a phenomenal general of the Minutemen. He created an intense series of supply lines, connecting the different settlements across the Commonwealth. Preston made connections in Bunker Hill, in Diamond City, and in Goodneighbor. All the while, he militarized Caelynn’s friends, using them as connections between different settlements.

Preston Garvey did everything that Caelynn was trying to do, uniting the Minutemen and the settlements under one banner.

The first few weeks were fine. Caelynn fought off the raiders from several farms, always sending word back to Sanctuary with each victory. She never stayed in one place for too long so no one bothered to write back to her – which was fine by Caelynn. Better if they all forgot her anyway.

After Caelynn had secured the settlements for the Minutemen, she kept wandering. She didn’t want to go back – not yet. So she traveled in the wilderness of the Commonwealth, far from civilization.

It was late and Caelynn was camping up near Lynn Woods. A suicidal adventure, since the woods were a known breeding ground for deathclaws, but what did it matter? Caelynn wasn’t the leader of the Minutemen anymore, she wasn’t the Savior of the Commonwealth – she was nothing but an ex-raider boss following the orders of General Preston Garvey.

The world that Caelynn knew, that she grew up in, was not what she woke up to. The man she fell in love with was born hundreds of years after her. He grew up in a cave, learning to shoot when he should have been in school. Her two best friends were a zombie looking ghoul and a mysterious spy for a secret underground organization.

Her son, her baby boy, grew up to be the nightmare of what remained of the Boston Commonwealth.

A sob burst through her chest. This isn’t what Caelynn was meant to do with her life. She was supposed to be a lawyer, raising a small family in a perfect Boston Suburb with her war hero husband by her side. There was supposed to be neighborhood potlucks and watching Shaun navigate his way through childhood into adulthood.

There were supposed to be more children other than Shaun, little brothers or sisters for him to grow up with. Caelynn was supposed to grow old with her husband, watch her grandchildren grow up and live in the best part of the city.

Instead she was here. Another sob wracked through her and Caelynn felt the tears start to spill down her cheeks. Instead she was in this wasteland, fighting for her life on a daily basis, caught up in politics and war tactics and –

Caelynn rolled over in her sleeping bag and curled up into a little ball.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

The sound of creaking wood had Caelynn sitting up, reaching for her favorite rifle. She and Cait tore through here before, clearing it of the raiders that had taken up residence. Caelynn had made sure it was empty before she settled down to sleep.

No one should even know she was here. Caelynn had been keeping herself under the radar of the Minutemen and the Railroad. She hadn’t seen another person in days, not since she ran into a caravan last week.

Gripping her rifle close, Caelynn turned around a corner.

“God _damn_, Deacon!” she shouted, jamming her rifle into his chest. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Deacon, smug as always, only grinned and pushed Caelynn’s rifle away from his chest. “Is that any way to greet your best friend? You didn’t even say goodbye.”

Scoffing, Caelynn turned and walked back into the little shelter, Deacon following close behind her. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“It’s been fifteen days since any of us last heard from you,” Deacon said. He sat down next to Caelynn on the floor. “We were getting worried.”

“When you say ‘we’ I assume you mean yourself, MacCready, and Hancock, right?” Caelynn raised her eyebrow. Deacon shifted uncomfortably. “That’s what I thought.”

“It was MacCready and Preston who figured out why you left, you know,” Deacon said casually. “None of us bothered to see if you were okay. You just lost your husband, your son, your entire life, and none of us tried to help you. All we did was see what you could do for us. That wasn’t fair and it was only a matter of time before you found someone who would listen to you. Granted, those were raiders in Nuka World, but still.”

“Thanks, Deacon, but let’s face it, I’m done here,” Caelynn instinctively slid closer to Deacon until she could rest her head on his shoulder. “This Commonwealth was never mine. No one here wants me anyway. Not after what I did.”

“Uh, wrong, Bullseye,” Deacon said. “I want you here. Hancock wants you here. MacCready, well, he probably wants you in his bed, but still here.”

“That’s not – ”

“Nick? You helped save his life, he wants you here. Piper? She wants you here, especially after all you did to help validate her claims about the Institute. Cait? She wants you here, who else is she going to fight alongside? And Codsworth, I don’t think he could function without you.”

“So I’m only wanted because of favors,” Caelynn snorted.

“No,” Deacon gently pushed her. “You’re wanted because we love you, Caelynn. I know, I know, we haven’t been the best to you, but the Commonwealth wouldn’t be the same without you.”

Caelynn snorted with disbelief but didn’t say anything else as Deacon put his arm around her shoulders. It was quiet in this part of the Commonwealth. Caelynn could hear the distant sound of the river and the wind rushing through the grass. Even though it was summer, the nights were still cool and Caelynn huddled a little closer to Deacon.

He _was_ her best friend, just like she was his. They were a dangerous duo in the Commonwealth, fighting for liberation of the synths. Caelynn charging in first, guns blazing like the heavy agent she was, while Deacon crept in the shadows, gathering intel and slitting throats. He had teased her endlessly when she first hooked up with MacCready and helped build the teleporter that took her to the Institute. Caelynn went to Hancock for a good time but she went to Deacon for comfort and advice.

“Dez has been asking about you,” Deacon said. “Wants to know if you’re ever going to visit your son.”

A fresh wave of guilt rolled through Caelynn and she flinched away from Deacon. Shaun, her son. After the whole debacle with the Institute, Dez and the others took him into the Railroad HQ – a place to keep him safe. Caelynn had visited once, to make sure he was settling in, then she left with the promise that she would visit.

And she hadn’t.

“He’s doing fine, you know,” Deacon kept talking, breezing right over Caelynn’s uncomfortable silence. “He keeps messing with Tinker Tom’s stuff, drives him crazy you know. But he’s got a good head. He’s smart like his mom.”

“Hopefully he has more of his father in him,” Caelynn said. “He was the selfless one. He would have been the hero the Commonwealth needed.”

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short,” Deacon squeezed her shoulder. “You are a certified badass. You are exactly what the Commonwealth needed.”

Caelynn shook her head. “I’m just a coward, running away from everything. I ran away from my responsibilities, ran away from my grief. I never went back to the Vault, not even to bury Nate. Even if I was a hero, even if I did good things, it was just to get what I needed.”

“You think I don’t understand how that feels?” Deacon said softly. “After what I told you about who I used to be?”

Caelynn balked. She’d forgotten about Deacon’s past.

“You and I are more similar than you think,” Deacon said. “Neither of us can change the past. We can’t ignore what we’ve done but we can make up for it now.”

“Is it really so simple?”

“Nah,” Deacon shook his head. “It’s not easy. It’s never easy. Until I met you, I never considered anyone my friend. People who get close to me get hurt; I just let them down. I dedicated myself to the Railroad. If I could spend my time saving other people then maybe my life wouldn’t be a waste. But you,” Deacon let go of Caelynn, turning her around so they were face to face, “you made me believe I was worth being here. That I was worthy.”

Sometime during their conversation, Deacon had taken off his glasses. His green eyes were distinctive and completely transparent. Caelynn loved Deacon’s eyes, so expressive. He could never lie when his eyes were exposed, they always betrayed him. That Deacon trusted Caelynn enough to lower his final defense spoke volumes of their friendship.

“I don’t know if I can feel that way again,” Caelynn said.

“I didn’t either,” Deacon said. “It takes time, Cae. Just… let me help you. Like you helped me.”

“I’ll try,” Caelynn said. “No promises yet.”


	6. Family

Nearly three weeks after leaving Sanctuary, Caelynn made her way back home with a little boy by her side. Even though he was a synth, Shaun was still just a child and, more importantly, he was her son.

The journey from the Railroad HQ to Sanctuary was a long one. MacCready was meeting her in Bunker Hill to help escort Shaun home and Caelynn was surprisingly nervous. She had once imagined a future with MacCready and Shaun and little Duncan. She had imagined a Sanctuary that, while it wasn’t exactly home, it could be close to it.

But that was before.

“Why are we going here?” Shaun asked. “I thought you were taking me home?”

“We’re grabbing some help,” Caelynn ruffled Shaun’s hair. “Remember what I told you about MacCready?”

“The guy you hired?”

“That’s the one.”

“Cool,” Shaun grinned. “He’s gonna help us go home?”

“Well, it’s his home too.”

Shaun looked up at Caelynn. For being a synth, he looked a lot like Nate. Whatever genes the Institute used to make him were accurate, from Shaun’s silvery hair to his cocoa colored skin to his dark brown eyes. He was her son in every possible way. And, with his childlike innocence, he didn’t judge Caelynn for leaving him at the Railroad for several weeks. He loved and forgave her the way children do.

“He’s the one you love, right?”

“Yeah,” Caelynn said.

She looked up at the Bunker Hill monument and thought of MacCready waiting for her there. He was probably chatting with Tony Savoldi, eating noodles and drinking booze. She had missed him while she was gone across the Commonwealth.

“Is he going to be my new dad?”

Caelynn’s heart stopped in her chest. How could she explain to Shaun the nuances of what had happened between them? Could she tell her son, her innocent and naïve boy, that she had betrayed everyone she loved? How could she explain that even if MacCready wanted their future together that she didn’t deserve it?

“Maybe one day,” Caelynn said instead, putting a hand on Shaun’s shoulder. “He has a little boy too.”

“Sweet! A dad _and _a brother!”

Caelynn smiled and pulled Shaun in for a quick, one-armed hug. “C’mon kid, we got a long way to go.”

“Are we going home after we pick up MacCready?”

“No, we’ll spend the night at Bunker Hill,” Caelynn said. “It’s a long walk and we want to have our supplies fully stocked before we head back. And… it’s been a long time since I’ve been home and I want to send word before we show up. There’s a girl here, her name’s Meg, she’s around your age. I’m sure you two can play until we leave.”

“I’d rather spend time with you,” Shaun said.

“You say that now, kiddo, just you wait,” Caelynn laughed.

The rest of the walk to Bunker Hill went relatively smoothly. They had one dicey incident with a couple of ghouls but Caelynn’s quick reflexes kept them both safe. It was nearing midafternoon by the time Caelynn and Shaun walked into Bunker Hill. Just as she suspected, MacCready was sitting at the bar, eating noodles and chatting with the Savoldi’s.

It had been nearly three months since she last saw MacCready. She had kept in contact with him, especially after what Deacon had said, but she hadn’t seen him. Unconsciously, Caelynn brushed her hair back and patted the dirt off her clothes. She hoped she didn’t have any blood on her from the ghouls and took a steadying breath.

“You look fine, Mom,” Shaun rolled his eyes.

“Shut up,” Caelynn gently smacked him on the back of the head. “C’mon kid. Let’s go see MacCready.”

He looked good. Then again, MacCready always looked good to Caelynn. With the Commonwealth the safest it has ever been, MacCready stopped carrying an entire arsenal with him. He still had his .308 rifle and a backup pistol, but that was it. No more shotgun and spears and knives or heavy armor. Just MacCready in his duster and hat, grinning at whatever Tony was telling him.

“Hey, stranger,” Caelynn said softly as she came closer.

MacCready spun around so fast it made Caelynn dizzy. His entire face lit up with a bright smile and he practically leaped off the stool, arms wrapping around Caelynn in a tight, tight, hug. He buried his face against her neck and Caelynn’s hands gripped the back of his jacket.

She took a deep breath. He smelled like home.

“I missed you,” MacCready whispered against her skin.

“I’m sorry,” Caelynn said, even as her throat closed with tears. “I’m so sorry.”

MacCready eventually pulled away and kissed her. Caelynn kissed back. It didn’t matter that she was in the middle of Bunker Hill, didn’t matter that Shaun was a scant few feet away. The only thing that mattered was MacCready. She didn’t deserve him but by god she missed him.

When she finally broke away from MacCready, Shaun had disappeared and the Savoldi’s were hidden behind their counter. MacCready took Caelynn’s hand and led her outside Bunker Hill for some well-earned time alone.

“Where have you been?” MacCready asked.

“Everywhere,” Caelynn replied. “How’s Sanctuary?”

“Holding up well,” MacCready said. “Having Strong around helps a lot. He’s been clearing up the roads of cars and trees and stuff, making it safer for people to travel.”

As they walked around Bunker Hill, MacCready told Caelynn story after story about what’s been happening back home while she was gone for the past three months. With the help of Curie, Cait was able to finally kick her drug addiction, although Hancock was none-too-pleased about it. Paladin Danse was working with Piper and Nick in Diamond City to stop the prejudice against synths, between hunting down renegade Brotherhood of Steel soldiers.

“Deacon and Preston got into a fight too,” MacCready said on their third circuit around Bunker Hill. “Wouldn’t tell anyone what it was about but we figured it out pretty quick.”

“Was it about me?”

“Yep. Deacon pretty much said it was Preston’s fault that you went off the radar. He said you were camping in Lynn Woods alone and… well… that if the deathclaws got you first then you wouldn’t mind.”

“Bet Preston loved that.”

“You know Preston. He got all defensive saying that he realized why you left for Nuka World in the first place and if it weren’t for him, you’d probably still be over there slaughtering the people of the Commonwealth.”

Caelynn leaned her head on MacCready’s shoulder. “What do you think?”

“I think they’re both idiots,” MacCready scoffed. “Preston’s having a hard time coming to terms that making you General of the Minutemen might have pushed you over the edge to Nuka World. It’s easier for him to just project onto you instead of try and fix it. And Deacon? He’s protective. You’re his best friend and he went through this same thing. If not for the Railroad then he’d have killed himself and he wants to make sure you don’t do that.”

“Well aren’t you perceptive.”

“Not really,” MacCready laughed. “They both told me all that after their fight. They’re okay now, although Deacon’s been running ops for the Railroad a lot after that and Preston spent a week at the Castle.”

The sun had finally started to set in the sky. The sky turned bright orange with wisps of pink and purple clouds and a cool breeze blew in from the river. By this time tomorrow, Caelynn would be walking back into Sanctuary with her son in tow. Part of her didn’t want to go back. She wanted to stay here on the open road, away from judging eyes, but that wouldn’t be fair for Shaun. The kid needed a home.

“Is Duncan coming?” Caelynn asked softly.

“Soon,” MacCready nodded. “Daisy said she’ll escort him from the Capital Wasteland and she needs someone to watch her shop when she goes.” He looked down at Caelynn with a soft smile. “Is your house big enough for all of us?”

Caelynn froze. That soft, nebulous, unsure future of a family came crashing back into her. The idea of Shaun and Duncan sharing a room across the hallway from her and MacCready, of waking up to Codsworth bustling around with breakfast while Dogmeat ran beneath their feet, of having a home and a family, all of it rushed through Caelynn and she didn’t know what to do.

MacCready tugged Caelynn and the two of them sat down on the steps leading up to Bunker Hill. Behind them came the sounds of the trading post closing down, the low chatter of traders eating dinner together and the rumble of turrets as the spotlights flickered on. MacCready took both of her hands in his and looked her in the eyes.

“I love you,” MacCready said. “Caelynn, I’m serious. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Come home with me to Sanctuary. We can be a family.”

With tears in her eyes, Caelynn nodded. “Okay.”

“Don’t think about Preston or the other settlers, just think of me.”

“I always do.”

That night, Caelynn and MacCready curled up together on a mattress with Shaun softly snoring next to them. Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out after all.


	7. The Battle of Sanctuary Hills

Caelynn sat down on a rickety chair overlooking Vault 111. Deacon had once sat here, months ago, watching her emerge from the Vault, scared and cold and unsure. Now she sat here, looking down on Sanctuary.

It had been several days since she came back to Sanctuary and, for a while, things were okay. She tried her best to put her past behind her, to start over new with MacCready and Shaun, but the settlers still glared and cursed her, so she started to spend most of her days sitting above Sanctuary and watching over them.

Shaun fit in well with the settlers, working underneath of Sturges to build and fix things. He was loved and watched over by the rest of the settlers, just like the other children. Right now, Caelynn watched her new synth son work with Sturges to fix a couple of generators. Such a bright, smart young boy. Caelynn couldn’t help the glow of pride in her chest as Shaun’s generator lit up.

Danse was farming a field of razorgrain alongside Piper and Cait. From Caelynn’s perspective, the girls were doing less work and more ogling Danse’s muscles. The rest of the settlement hummed along their business, Hancock lounging in the sun, telling jokes to everyone who walked by him, Nick chatting cheerfully with Curie, MacCready walking through the streets with a handful of children following behind him.

In the far distance, Caelynn saw a black smudge coming close to the bridge. The only time she’d ever seen something like this was at Nuka World when Mason charged Fizz Top Grille with his entire pack. A smudge like that on the horizon meant only one thing.

A group of invading raiders.

Caelynn stood up and lifted her sniper rifle, looking down the scope to the smudge.

Stalking the front of the group of raiders was Nisha and Mags. It had been months since she ran out of Nuka World. Honestly, she was surprised it took Colter this long to realize she had left them. Then again, seeing as she was running across the ‘Wealth taking back raider settlements for the Minutemen, it was only a matter of time.

Caelynn slung her rifle over her shoulder and _sprinted_ down the hill. It was no secret among the Nuka World raiders that Caelynn left Sanctuary a safe haven, that it was her home once and she couldn’t bear to see it destroyed by raiders. If anyone wanted to find her it would be in Sanctuary.

If Nisha and Mags were after Caelynn for revenge then they would burn all of Sanctuary to get her. They would kill everyone she cared about. Her legs burned as she ran down the hill, only stumbling a little as she hit the bottom of the hill.

“Oi, what’s the rush?” Hancock called as Caelynn sprinted past him.

Her legs started to seize up, her lungs were working overtime, and still she ran. From her hip, she pulled out her favorite shotgun. All around her, the rest of the settlers stared. Caelynn just ran past her house when the warming alarms started blaring.

At once, the sleepy and industrial air of Sanctuary shattered. All the companions that traveled with Caelynn grabbed weapons and charged after Caelynn towards to the bridge. Caelynn skidded, her feet actually slipping on the concrete, as she turned the corner.

On the bridge were Nisha and Mags, their gang of raiders behind them. Preston stood in front of them, blocking their entry into Sanctuary. Standing there in his General of the Minutemen gear, Preston cut an intimidating figure and Caelynn felt a surge of respect for him.

Caelynn took a deep breath. Her knees were shaking from the sprint down the hill and she heard a sea of echoing gasps behind her. Hand tightening around her shotgun, Caelynn walked purposefully to the bridge. Preston turned around and gasped.

“Step down, Preston,” she said.

“Caelynn!” Preston gasped but he obediently took a step back.

“So the fallen Overboss returns,” Mags sneered. “Crawled back into the hole where she came from.”

“Leave,” Caelynn growled.

“Oh, after all we shared?” Nisha said in a soft, sticky sweet voice. “I thought we had something special, Cae.”

“Get out of here!” Caelynn shouted, tears at her eyes.

She never wanted this, didn’t want her friends in Sanctuary to see what she had done in Nuka World. She hated having her two worlds suddenly collide. Part of Caelynn hoped that what happened in Nuka World would stay there. Never did she imagine the raiders would come charging on her front step, bringing every skeleton out of her closet. Not now, not after things were starting to get better.

“You always were so beautiful when you’re angry,” Nisha purred. “Always made our nights together so much better.”

“Shut up!” Caelynn screamed.

“Don’t understand why you came back here,” Mags absently checked her nails. “You could have had it all, Caelynn. Instead you threw it all away.”

“So we thought we’d remind you what you could have had.”

Mags whistled and all the assembled raiders lifted up Molotov cocktails. At her signal, they threw them into Sanctuary. People screamed behind Caelynn and Preston’s calm, sure voice broke through, directing the children and their guardians to run back to the Vault, a safety precaution created when Caelynn brought Shaun back from the Railroad.

The sound of panic settled Caelynn’s mind. She was here to protect the people of Sanctuary. She should have known the raiders would come after her. This was her damn bed. This was the life she chose and these were the consequences she now had to bear. Briefly, she wished she could have had more time with MacCready, that she could have met Duncan.

“Sanctuary is off limits,” Caelynn said firmly. “If you _ever _step foot in here again I will kill you. I have made my choice and I stand by it. I stand here and as I live and breathe you will not step here.”

“Oh, darling, you think you can stand up to Nuka World alone?”

“She’s not alone!”

Caelynn closed her eyes at the sound of MacCready’s voice. He ran up next to her, shoulders brushing as he raised his rifle. This was not his fight.

“I’ve got this,” she muttered.

“I’m with you, Cae,” MacCready said. “No matter what.”

Mags stared at MacCready and, to Caelynn’s horror, recognition flickered over her face.

“He ran the gauntlet, didn’t he?” Mags guessed. “The fight with the smoke grenade. You came out of that fight a little more flustered than usual.”

“Had that fucked-out look in her eyes,” Nisha added. “You’re really gonna chose him over me? This puny gunner? They’re not even on the same level as us, Caelynn, and you know it. I can give you the Commonwealth on a bloody platter and you left me for this?”

“Get out of here,” Caelynn said under her breath to MacCready. “Take the rest of the settlers to the Vault. Keep them safe. Shaun and Duncan need you.”

“What about you?’ MacCready asked.

“Forget about me,” Caelynn insisted. “This is my problem, not yours. I knew this day would come and I’m not going to have you in danger. Now leave!”

“How sweet,” Nisha sneered. “Go on, little gunner, she belongs to _me_.”

“Like hell!”

And before Caelynn could say anything MacCready fired his gun and one of the raiders fell down in a shower of blood. Caelynn fired her shotgun and dropped another raider before they started firing back. A bullet caught Caelynn’s arm and she saw another one snag MacCready’s leg in a spurt of red.

She grabbed MacCready’s arm and yanked him backwards, away from the bridge.

“Get the hell out of here!” she insisted as the bullets went flying. “I won’t have you die on my account!”

“As if I can live without you,” MacCready said as they ducked into the closest house. “I love you, Caelynn, and whether you like it or not, I’m here to stay.”

“Wow, this is so touching,” Deacon’s voice came through the back of the house. “But what are we gonna do about the army of raiders at the front door?”

Caelynn spun around to see Deacon, casually poking out of the back bedroom of the house. He was presently wearing his favorite raider outfit and casually checking the sights on Deliverer. Deacon glanced up at Caelynn and MacCready with a smirk.

“I’ll take care of it,” Caelynn insisted. “Just get out of here, both of you.”

“As if!” Deacon protested.

“I’m serious!” Caelynn said. “I’m not worth this. Preston needs you. The settlers here need you to keep them safe. They don’t need me. Hell, they don’t even _want_ me! Let me die defending these people, something to make up for my mistakes.”

“No!”

But Caelynn grabbed her assault rifle, shotgun on her hip, and sprinted out of the house. Two raiders were waiting for her and, with a couple of quick shots, they hit the ground. There was a shout behind her and Caelynn barely had time to dive to the side, the bullet hitting on the side of her chest plate, catching part of her ribs.

Standing up, she spun around and fired two quick shots but the raider ducked down and she only nicked the shoulder. Caelynn saw a shimmer of movement and Deacon appeared behind the raider, firing a bullet into her head.

In the midst of the firefight, Caelynn saw the rest of the raiders charging up Sanctuary’s main street, firing into houses, breaking turrets and generators, tearing down everything that Caelynn had worked to build. She knew there were a lot of raiders in Nuka World but seeing them in such close quarters brought it to her attention just how futile this fight was.

If MacCready and Deacon hurried up and left then Caelynn could sacrifice herself for the good of the Commonwealth. Nisha and Mags could take her back to Nuka World, torture her and probably kill her, but Sanctuary would be safe. It would be better this way.

Suddenly Caelynn heard the long rattle of a minigun. She looked up the street and saw Hancock toting around Fahrenheit’s minigun. He lit up the street, laughing like a maniac with every raider he gunned down. From behind Hancock’s devastating line of fire Caelynn saw Danse, suited up in a new set of blue power armor, firing his laser rifle with impressive precision. He raised up his hand, Hancock stopped firing, and to Caelynn’s surprise, more people came forward.

There was Cait with a couple of frag grenades in her hands, sneering down at the assembled raiders. Then Piper came forward, snapping her bubblegum and spinning her pistol without a care in the world. Nick Valentine was next to her followed by Curie and Codsworth. Even Strong stood in the line, easily towering over everyone else.

“Listen up, you raider scum,” Danse called out. “Caelynn belongs here with us. She built Sanctuary with her bare hands and we are not going to let you take it from her.”

“You just don’t get it, do you?” Nisha said. “She _left_ you. She betrayed you and all you stand for. She joined us. She fought and killed your people on our orders. Are you really going to defend her? This is what she deserves!”

“Is it though?” Deacon sauntered into the middle of the road and Caelynn’s heart jumped in her chest. “I mean, I don’t think she deserves this, but hey, let’s put it to a vote! Everyone who thinks Caelynn is a lousy, backstabbing piece of shit, raise your hand.”

Caelynn winced at Deacon’s words. He was right, of course, but he didn’t have to be so blunt about it. Gingerly, Caelynn waited to see who would raise their hand. Would it be Piper, the journalist who interviewed the displaced settlers that Caelynn kicked out of their land? Would it be Nick, the lawful good synth who abhorred raiders? Or even Cait who had left raiding for good after joining on with Caelynn?

No one raised their hand.

MacCready slid his hand into Caelynn’s and squeezed it gently. She should be moving, should be taking this brief moment in battle to charge through the raiders, but she couldn’t move, couldn’t break the stalemate.

“Huh,” Deacon hummed. He spun around dramatically. “Alright. Who thinks that Caelynn, one of our dear friends, the Savior of the Commonwealth, the woman who singlehandedly took down the Institute and lived, who walked into Nuka World and back out, who has saved our necks more times than any of us deserve, is only human? Who here thinks that she made a mistake but has since seen the error of her ways and has been bending over backwards to make amends? Who thinks that Caelynn, who has given us all second chances, deserves a second chance of her own?”

As soon as Deacon’s words died off, Hancock threw his hand up, almost knocking Cait in the face. Piper’s hand soon followed, then Danse and Nick and Cait. Codsworth, with no hand to raise, simply shouted an “I agree!” as Curie and Strong also raised their hands.

“So it seems to me,” Deacon spun around to the raiders, “that we’re in 100% agreement that Caelynn does not deserve this.”

“What about the General?” Mags pointed out. “He’s the one she betrayed the most. Don’t you think he ought to be here? Have a say in this vote?”

“He is here!” Preston’s voice carried over and Caelynn watched him push through the line until he was standing next to Deacon.

Caelynn’s hope sank. Preston would never defend her, not after everything.

“The General of the Minutemen,” Mags gave a mocking bow. “The one who united the Commonwealth under a common cause. You don’t want your people to get hurt, do you? But Caelynn hurt them, didn’t she? She kicked them out of their homes. She killed your own Minutemen. Don’t you think she deserves this after what she’s done to you?”

“Caelynn is a lot of things,” Preston said. “She is a capable soldier, a good spy, and a loving mother. She is strong willed, courageous, and a quick learner. She woke up to see her home destroyed and she fought to make it better, to help people. She could have been bitter and angry; she could have left us all for dead on her quest to find her son, but she didn’t. She was so selfless in helping us out that we forgot she needed help too.

“I can’t ignore what she did to us. I can’t turn a blind eye to the bloodshed she brought down on the Commonwealth in the name of Nuka World. But I can’t ignore what she had done since coming back either. I can’t ignore how tirelessly she worked to reclaim those broken settlements, how she did everything possible to make amends for what she had done. And I certainly can’t ignore how she steadfastly defended Sanctuary from you.

“The only thing that Caelynn deserves is a second chance. The only thing she has every tried earning from me since she came back from Nuka World is my forgiveness. And someday I might be able to forgive her for all the atrocities she committed as Overboss but I will never know that day if you take her away. If you want Caelynn then you’ll have to get through me.”

“No!” Caelynn tore her hand from MacCready and ran to the middle of the street. She raised her hands up, blocking Deacon and Preston from the line of raiders. “No! I’ll go with you, but please, please leave them alone! I’m the one you want, not them.”

“What are you doing, Caelynn?” Preston hissed. “They’re going to _kill _you!”

“Better me than you!” Caelynn retorted. She turned her head to face Preston and dropped her voice. “I have all the information about Nuka World in my house, MacCready knows where to find it. After they kill me, they’ll try and come back for Sanctuary, but not if you get there first. You’re ready.”

Before Preston could protest anymore, Caelynn walked towards Nisha and Mags, hands still raised up. She could feel the eyes on her back as she walked away from Sanctuary, from her friends.

This was her redemption. This was the way for her to fix her mistakes. To distract the raiders long enough for Preston and the others to destroy the Nuka World Raiders for good. Somehow, Caelynn knew it was always going to end this way. She could run from Nuka World for a while, but eventually it would catch up to her.

Against her better judgement, she looked over to MacCready. The past several days with him had been blissful. For almost two weeks, Caelynn could pretend things were normal. She could pretend she and MacCready and Shaun were a family. She could ignore the mutterings from the settlers and work and farm with Deacon or Hancock.

Nearly two weeks of what Caelynn’s life might have been if she hadn’t abandoned them to Nuka World. That was more than she deserved.

“That’s right, come home with us,” Nisha sneered. She grabbed Caelynn’s arm and yanked her close, until Caelynn could see Nisha’s eyes underneath her helmet. She whispered to Caelynn, so low that no one else could hear it:

“I’m going to make you regret ever betraying me.”

For the first time since meeting Nisha, Caelynn felt a tremor of terror in her chest.

“Burn it,” Mags ordered to the raiders.

“NO!” Caelynn turned to Mags with horror. “You can’t do this! You’ve got me now, you don’t need to do this too!”

“Consider it a lesson,” Mags said. “You left us for this place so now there will be no Sanctuary for you to run away to.”

The army of raiders marched up to Sanctuary, ready to burn the settlement down. Nisha dragged Caelynn backwards and the entire road exploded.

She only saw glimpses of the action between the dusty air. Piper knocking a raider out with a clean hit of her pistol. Cait bodily throwing one raider onto another. Strong’s sledgehammer smashing the street up. Hancock downing some Buffout before charging in screaming. Nick dragging Curie from the battle, her leg badly damaged.

The dust settled and the fight raged on. Deacon flickered around the houses, barely visible through his stealth boy field. Danse was taking on three raiders at a time, their bullets glancing off his power armor. Codsworth and Dogmeat were tag-teaming any raider they came across.

And still Nisha dragged Caelynn away from Sanctuary while Mags covered her.

Even knowing this was the right thing, that this would ultimately save Sanctuary, Caelynn didn’t want to go. Suddenly, viscerally, Caelynn wanted to stay. She wanted to _live_. She struggled against Nisha’s grip with a renewed vigor, determined to save her home.

“Give up, Cae,” Nisha said. “You are coming back to Nuka World and you will pay for what you’ve done.”

Something hit Nisha and she let go of Caelynn with a gasp. Without Nisha holding her, Caelynn fell forward, smashing into the tarmac. She spun around and saw MacCready tussling with Nisha on the ground. Before Caelynn could bother to stand, Mags was over her, rifle aimed directly between Caelynn’s eyes.

“Goodbye, Overboss,” Mags said.

Caelynn closed her eyes and waited for death. The sound of a gunshot echoed in her ears and, when she didn’t go whooshing off to the afterlife, she risked opening one eye. Mags was still standing over her but there was a hefty bullet hole through her forehead. The air around her shimmered and Deacon appeared. He pushed her body over and shot it again and again and again.

“Deacon,” Caelynn pushed herself to her feet. She rested a hand on Deacon’s shoulder. “Deek. It’s okay.”

“When the raiders in Nuka World are dead, then it’ll be okay,” Deacon said.

Caelynn wanted to say something else, something more, but she heard MacCready’s strangled scream and her blood went cold. Down the street, MacCready was fighting Nisha, knife to knife. Caelynn could see the slashes across his chest where she had gotten him. The blood was stark against his green shirt.

“Give it up, Gunner!” Nisha taunted. “Caelynn is _mine_.”

“Fuck you!” MacCready shouted and lunged for her.

“Tell me, did she ever tell you any of her fantasies?” Nisha dodged the knife and gave MacCready another cut on his arm. “Oh, the fun we had. She was always so worked up after a good torture session. Both of us covered in blood, the screams still echoing in the room. Sometimes she wouldn’t wait until we made it to the bedroom, just right on the floor by the dead body. Do you really think you can compare to that?”

MacCready grabbed Nisha’s arm and twisted it back. He kicked at the back of her knees, knocking her down as he yanked her arm behind her back. He pressed his knife up against her throat and leaned down.

“Don’t forget, Raider, she came back to me,” MacCready snarled and he dug his knife into her neck, slicing her throat cleanly. Nisha fell onto the concrete, blood pooling beneath her and MacCready spit blood on the ground. “No matter what you think, in the end, Caelynn chose _me_.”

Caelynn crashed into him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest and _squeezed_. MacCready let out a soft breath before holding her just as tightly.

With the leaders dead, the rest of the raiders were picked off easily until there was silence over Sanctuary. Slowly, they started to loot the bodies before moving them to the forest. Curie, her leg all patched up, handed out stimpaks and started treating the worse injuries. Cait ran off to the Vault to tell the settlers that Sanctuary was safe once more.

“I thought she was going to kill you,” Caelynn whispered to MacCready.

“Nah,” MacCready shook his head.

“Are you…” Caelynn pulled back to look up at him. “Are you mad at me?”

“No.”

“But what I did… with her… you have every right to be mad at me.”

“I’m not mad at you,” MacCready said. “What you and Nisha did together could never compare to you and I, Caelynn. You were angry and sad and lashing out and trying to find ways to cope. What you and I have, it’s forever, babe. No raider bitch is taking that from me.”

“But – ”

“Would you go back to her? Would you leave me for her if she was still alive?”

“No! Never! I never loved her, not like I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and only you.”

MacCready gave her a soft smile. “See? That’s the real Caelynn and that’s the Caelynn I fell in love with. Nisha never had the real Caelynn, not like me.”

Caelynn stayed there in MacCready’s arms while everyone else worked around them. The settlers started on repairing the damaged buildings and organizing the weapons and ammos taken from the dead raiders. Shaun ran up and hugged Caelynn and MacCready before tagging along with Sturges to repair the water purifiers.

The sun started to set and still Caelynn stood with MacCready, breathing with him, together and alive. But as the euphoria of survival wore off, Caelynn remembered how the battle started; how everyone stood up in her defense.

How Preston stood up to defend her against the horde of Nuka World.

She looked over Sanctuary, at the war torn street, the broken generators and destroyed farms. She looked at the settlers, gathering around Sturges to report the damage. She looked at her companions, her friends who were laughing and sharing a drink as if they hadn’t just fought for their lives. She looked at Shaun who sleepily stumbled back home with a wide yawn, escorted by Codsworth and Dogmeat.

Tomorrow, Caelynn decided. Tomorrow she would talk to Preston about what happened. Tomorrow she would continue to make amends for her failures. Tomorrow, she would start to regain the trust of the Commonwealth again and finally claim her redemption.

But tonight Caelynn wanted to go home with her family and sleep.

And, hand in hand with MacCready, she did just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's done! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed coming with me on Caelynn's journey. :D


End file.
